As one of nearly two dozen players on the Perth Amboy High School baseball team’s roster who were born in the Dominican Republic or are of Dominican descent, Jose Peralta moved to the city three years ago with the hope of a better life.

The 6-foot-5 senior righthander – who needed to walk more than four miles to play baseball on a diamond in his native Puerto Plata, where families in his neighborhood got their water from a well, according to Perth Amboy head coach Alex Perez – has earned the start on the mound against South Plainfield in Saturday’s Greater Middlesex Conference Tournament final.

Perth Amboy (14-10), which is making its first ever appearance in the league championship game, is assured of finishing with a winning record for the first time since 2012.

The Panthers posted a 35-73 mark (.324 winning percentage) over the last five seasons. The program’s turnaround can be attributed to several factors, including Perez’s leadership, the city’s investment in youth baseball, dedicated volunteers at the recreation level and an influx of Dominican talent.

Star players such as catcher Darius Diaz (.470) and Chris Brito (.449), who both received full athletic scholarships to Division I schools, form the cornerstone of a team that is brimming with talent at every position, especially on the mound, where Peralta is among Perth Amboy’s greatest success stories.

“The dynamics for him in the Dominican Republic were pretty tough,” Perez said. “His parents came over here to see if he could excel educationally. They made a big sacrifice to get him into this country. As a way to pay back, he wanted to do great in school.”

Peralta spoke little English upon enrolling at Perth Amboy. He currently owns a 3.3 grade-point average and will continue his career as a student-athlete at Kean University. Peralta is one of eight players on the current roster and 26 in five seasons under Perez that will play baseball in college, a testament to Perth Amboy’s commitment to academics through athletics director Neptune Cardona’s implementation of a mandatory study hall (Diaz was recently named the high school's prestigious NJSIAA scholar-athlete recipient).

“It’s amazing how he’s made the transition academically,” Perez said of Peralta, who is an honor roll student. “He’s come a long way. Now, he’s actually getting a lot of confidence in his writing, as well. He’s one of the nicest kids I’ve met in my entire life.”

Peralta and his teammates – approximately half of which Perez said were born or have lived in the Dominican Republic – speak the universal language of baseball. The Panthers are incessantly talking it up on the field or chanting in Spanish from the dugout, with one of the team’s more popular songs loosely translated as “Come on, throw the pitch down the middle, so we can whack it.”

READ: Diaz's transfer to Perth Amboy gives Panthers dynamic duo

The city’s love for the game is reflected in the nearly 300 spectators who came out to support the Panthers in last weekend’s conference tournament semifinals, or through those Spanish-speaking fans who create an electric atmosphere during home games, banging tamboras (two sided-drums) or playing guiras (another merengue percussion instrument that creates a maraca sound).

“It’s not just a baseball game, it’s an event,” Rutgers head coach Joe Litterio, who signed Brito to a National Letter of Intent, said of the atmosphere at Rudyk Park’s Roberto Clemente Field, where Perth Amboy plays its home games. “It’s a place where there’s very high energy. Everybody is into the game, and it just seems like everybody is having fun. It’s a great place to play.”

“There is such a passion in our city for the sport,” Perth Amboy Mayor Wilda Diaz, who was among those in attendance at last weekend’s semifinals, previously told MyCentralJersey.com. “You see it within the Dominican community and also within the Puerto Rican community.”

A Perth Amboy graduate who went on to become a scholarship pitcher at the University of Miami and in the New York Yankees farm system, Perez is of Puerto Rican descent. Under his tutelage, Peralta has developed into a more complete hurler, adding a slider and changeup to a fastball that has topped out at 87 mph. In a state tournament game against Ridge earlier this week, Peralta (5-2, 2.21) had excellent command of all three pitches, resulting in a three-hit shutout.

The Panthers boast a 2.69 team ERA, an improvement of nearly two points from last season, and are batting .340 as a club, an improvement of 50 points from two years ago.

The groundwork for Perth Amboy’s current success, according to Ken Ortiz, the city’s recreation director and former Little League president, was laid about a decade ago with the formation of travel baseball teams known as the Caribbean All-Stars.

Through a generous $25,000 annual contribution from the Eddie and Brenda Trujillo Family Foundation, Ortiz said the city has been able to develop travel teams for four different age groups – ranging from 10-and-under to 16-and-under – affording Perth Amboy players the invaluable opportunity to compete against other programs across the state, such as Toms River, loaded with talent.

Brito, who will continue his career at Rutgers University, from which former Perth Amboy star Gaby Rosa graduated as a scholarship player last year, played as a 7-year-old on the city’s 10-and-under travel team. A four-year starter, Brito has since blossomed into one of the state’s best sluggers, recording more than 100 career hits, the most recent of which was a grand slam in Perth Amboy 4-0 state tournament win over Ridge.

Former Perth Amboy baseball player Gaby Rosa went on to star at Rutgers University (Jim O'Conner/Courtesy of Rutgers athletics)

“Those guys that played travel ball over that time, it really propelled them a bit more because they saw better competition,” Ortiz said, citing Brito and ace Virgilio Cabrera (6-1, 0.71) as examples. “The difference for us is kids playing more travel ball with coaches with better experience.”

Former minor league players such as Emmanuel Sena and Rogelio Estevez Nunez, a full-time recreation leader in the city who was a Double A teammate of Michael Jordan’s when the NBA legend spent a year in the Chicago White Sox organization, work with the city’s youth baseball players. Luis Marte, a former Perth Amboy player who is now a police officer in the city, coordinates the travel program. Former high school star Emelio Calderon, an all-state player, conducts pitching clinics in the city. Another former star, Anderson Rosa, who works for the Department of Children Protection and Permanency, also coaches the Caribbean All-Stars.

Ken Ortiz during his time as Perth Amboy Little League Director in 2005.(Photo: ~file photo)

“We are trying to build a culture here,” Ortiz said of his department working in conjunction with Perez and Cardona. “It’s not only about sports. It’s about academics, family and faith. Baseball is the tool for us to get these kids involved. We have many at-risk kids in Perth Amboy. Many of them come from single-parent homes. Guys like Luis and Anderson – these guys are professionals – and our young boys want to be just like them.”

Thirteen years ago, Ortiz worked with the Urban Initiative of Little League Baseball to jump start the city’s Little League program, which was formed in 2002. A quarter of the aspiring Little Leaguers at the time could not afford to pay a $43 registration fee, which the city covered, ensuring no child would be denied an opportunity to play ball. Ortiz received $4,000 worth of equipment from the Urban Initiative, including 80 gloves, 20 catcher’s mitts, 45 aluminum bats, 50 batting helmets, 480 baseballs and 10 complete sets of catcher’s gear. The city appropriated an additional $35,000 to pay for field drainage and lights at its youth baseball facilities. By the time players from that era were juniors and seniors in high school, the Panthers enjoyed a rebirth, posting a 44-11 record during the 2011 and 2012 campaigns, arguably the team's most successful run since the 1961 team won the only sectional title in school history.

Alex Perez pitches for Perth Amboy High School in 2000(Photo: ~file photo)

Perth Amboy has produced a handful of Major Leaguers including pitcher Jose DeLeon, whose 12-year career (1983-95) was highlighted with a National League-leading 201 strikeouts in 1989, and outfielder William Pennyfeather, who played three seasons (1992-94) with the Pittsburgh Pirates.

An arm injury derailed Perez's professional career. Perez was hired to coach at his alma mater in 2014 amid controversy, through no fault of his own, when some felt the position should have been awarded to a veteran assistant, according to The Amboy Guardian. No one at the time criticized Perez, of whom even those supporting the other candidate spoke highly.

“I have a plan to help our kids,” Perez was quoted telling the Board of Education at the time. “I’ve played pro ball. I have a network system and a lot of contacts to help the kids. I’ve done it as a player and as a coach. I will not let you down.”

Five years later, with his team succeeding on the field and in the classroom, Perez has Perth Amboy in a position to make history.

“For us to win on Saturday would be an incredible accomplishment,” said Ortiz, noting the Panthers opened the season with a five-game losing streak and dropped seven of their first 10 outings.

“If you continue working hard, have faith and belief in your coaches and teammates," he said, "good things will come of it."